ROSTEC'S WREATH LAID AT BUST OF LEGENDARY GENERAL ZHUKOV

BANJA LUKA, NOVEMBER 12 /SRNA/ - Many people from Banja Luka and other visitors these days stopped by the bust of the legendary Russian and Soviet military commander Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov, at which a wreath bearing the inscription Rostec has recently been laid.

Those more familiar with Russia immediately recognized it as the name of the largest Russian state corporation, which, among other things, is responsible for supplying weapons to the Russian army.

"For me, this represents symbolic but also strong Russian support for the Serbs and Republika Srpska. The approval for the establishment of this large corporation, which supplies the Russian military and is involved in current operations in Ukraine, was given by Vladimir Putin, and anyone can find this information online," said a man from Banja Luka who stopped at Zhukov’s bust.

The Rostec consortium, headquartered in Moscow, consists of around 800 enterprises grouped into 15 holding companies, 11 of which are in the defense industry and three in the civilian sector.

Rostec’s organizations are present in 60 constituent regions of the Russian Federation, supply goods to more than 70 countries worldwide, and the Government of Republika Srpska has also purchased helicopters from one of the companies within this consortium.

General Zhukov’s bust was unveiled in the presence of Russian Ambassador Igor Kalabukhov at the Fallen Fighters’ Square in downtown Banja Luka in 2021, on the occasion of Victory Day, marking the end of World War II in Europe.

Many around the world remember Zhukov’s words in Berlin in 1945, after the Soviet defeat of the German army and their supporters: “We have liberated Europe from fascism; they will never forget it.”

Zhukov was one of the most popular figures in the Soviet Union and was buried with full military honors on Red Square, beneath the Kremlin walls.

He will be remembered as the most decorated marshal - a four-time Hero of the Soviet Union and one of only three recipients of the Order of Victory. He was also awarded the Yugoslav Order of Freedom and the American Legion of Merit.